(Son Here) Hey guys! Been looking at my options for ships. I do like building my own stuff, but I think I'm gonna have to swallow my pride and get a 1/2, 1/4, or completely built ship. So far, I think a Cleveland is great. If so, my question: How is the Cleveland armed? And armored? My father and I are thinking that Fast Gun is our way to go, Ionia is on the way of things we do often. My biggest concern is not the building for it is half done, but if there is a max weight concern, too small for certain guns, etc.. Now, this is what I am thinking for arming (correct me if I am wrong): I see that there are 4 turrents, so this is how I think to set it up. Rear: 2 Fixed doubles. Front: Fixed triple, triple big gun (servo). Again, correct me if that's impossible/too heavy. Thanks guys!! ~Son~
If you do it for Fast Gun, Cleveland gets 2 guns and one pump. With her, I'd set it up for dual sterns.
(Son here) Cool. Would I be able to have them for the big gun hardware? I've also thought about Baltimore Class, which do you suggest?
I don't think it is. Really, in the big scheme of things it's a wash whether you do a Cleveland from a fiberglass hull or a Balti from a lasercut kit.. But if you're going to battle Fast Gun, there are a number of things that make having Big Gun hardware on the same ship a non-starter. And vice-versa. Not sure where you are getting the ship half-built from at this point, though.
I agree that for fast gun you would want to go dual stern guns. Even in treaty you only get 2 guns and a pump.I dont know that much about big gun to answer that one. Buddy
I have a Cleaveland, and I'd argue that she's not a wonderful boat. For Fast gun the best way to arm her is dual sterns, but the stern of the boat is very shallow, especially with the motors, shafts and rudder/servo taking up space. (it's doable, but a very tight fit) I'd go with a *slightly* larger ship, if I could do it over again, The Alaska maybe?
I have to say again it depends on what for mat you battle in. I think in treaty she would be great along with the other cruisers as she has more speed then most of the heavy units on the pond. Only thing that could catch you is another cruiser. Buddy
Buddy is right, Pick your format first, then decide - You'll want to pick your format according to how the local club is, since those are the guys you'll be battling. You also talk about how heavy stuff is, but the Cleveland has a ton of displacement for her size - she's long and narrow, so space is more of a problem than wieght. You'll definitely be adding Lead ballast no matter how you set her up. However you do it, you'll probably not be able to fit more than one armed turret into her - there just isn't enough room.
I respectfully disagree. If I wanted to play it down to the ounce I could have fit a reloadable torpedo setup, 4.5ah of battery, 3.5 ounce bottle, and all fittings. This in a Capitani Romani! A 5lb+- ship. A Cleveland can fit all sorts of stuff inside, I'm sure. Try LiFePo4 batteries, geared motors, an esc, strong micro servos for various functions, and a thinner caprail. All these things can make your build easier. Das Bütts
Cleveland's stern is about the same as any other US cruiser. If you're having trouble fitting cannons, try cutting down the length of the uptakes, or installing longer or shorter shafts to move the motors out from under the stern turret locations. No cruiser that is long and has a single rudder is going to turn overly well, but getting the props close together and as close to the rudder as possible helps. Plus, in most formats light cruisers are regularly faster than anything but other cruisers. Cleveland is a good starter boat in fast gun formats, have no idea about other formats.
^^ This. Cleveland is a good place to start, if a bit challenging for a rookie to fit everything else into. Baltimore would probably be a little easier to fit everything in, and is 3.5 units instead of 3. I would never under any circumstances what so-ever recommend an Alaska to a rookie.
If you're looking for an Allied 3-unit cruiser, you might have good luck in the For Sale section: maybe not the Cleveland, but you might be able to get your hands on a ship that has at least been started. That's how I picked up my Iowa-class, but I also wasn't planning to go combat off the bat. However, in my opinion if you think you can bring a ship to full combat readiness from a quarter-start to a half-done kit, you really should consider buying a new hull and kit fittings as opposed to hoping that the kit you get second-hand is in good shape and the original owner was kind to it. I was extremely fortunate that my Iowa-class had been in good hands before I picked it up, and I had only a few things to do in order to alter/upgrade it to where I wanted it to be for pond-running (non-combat for now), and I was able to see how a veteran had started his process and where he was going to eventually end up when he completed the ship. Not every person selling their ship is created equal, nor is their attention to the hulls they're selling. The Warship Builds thread has a fair number of builders working on second-hand ships, and a lot of them have had to remove parts and in some cases completely redo the ship from the ground up. The customer service from kit manufacturers Battlers Connection and Strike Models is superb; I've used both sources for parts for my Iowa-class, and when I started this I was a rookie as well. I'm still a rookie, but I at least have learned how to get ships running through a careful process of trial, some error, and asking a lot of questions of folks here who know what they're doing and were able to help me out. Bob H will set you up with some How To DVDs if you ask him, and all of us will be more than happy to answer your questions as you go along, and if you're close enough to a group, when they have off-season build meetings, that is likewise a massively useful resource for new builders. In short, unless the source you manage to get a started Cleveland from has a good reputation and several ships built or building, I strongly recommend--for your own peace of mind and relieving stress and headaches--that you buy new and build from the ground up with all new materials, going about it in a slow, steady, methodical fashion so that you do it right. Plus, you'll have the added bonus of looking at the ship when it's done with an even greater satisfaction, because you'll be able to say to yourself, "this is my work."
Well....I saw a free Wichita plan set...... Ill look in the for sale section, put down a few suggestions. I'll see what you guys think....
Hi Guy Ok I have one of the Oregon City class I just built this year. They are a sister to the Balitmores, good 3.5 unit ship, but at the same time they are one of the larger cruisers so they dont turn quite as well as a cleveland or shorter cruiser would. Yes they have more room inside and for some one like me with big hands it sure helps. They can do fairly well and handle a little bit more damage. I was recently sunk due to radio problems and lets just say teething problems all around by a German BB, took 18 belows 10 on and some thing like 23 aboves , made it to shore basckwards from the middle of the pond. Any way there is a good kit you can buy that goes together very well. Building experience is a definite plus on these ships due to their length. I think you would be better off with a cleveland. Buddy
